There exist a wide range of puzzle mechanisms in which various pieces or elements of one or more different shapes, colors, symbols etc. are required to be arranged in a predetermined pattern, often relative to other pieces or elements, in order to solve the puzzle. Puzzles range in difficulty and complexity, such that some may be suitable for a young child, and others, only for an advanced mathematician.
Some two dimensional puzzles consist of a plurality of puzzle components positioned within a frame in a rectangular arrangement, making up a table of columns and rows. One square in the table is missing to allow an adjacent puzzle component to be shifted into that space, thereby opening up the space on the table where the component was shifted from, for shifting a different puzzle component therein. Each puzzle component comprises an indicium such as a portion of a pattern or picture. By shifting each puzzle component as described, a predetermined pattern may be formed to solve the puzzle.
Three dimensional puzzles are also well known, particularly the Rubik's cube, comprising a cube shape, wherein each of the six faces is divided into nine squares. Each square has a colored indicium (e.g. a sticker) on it, and each square may be relocated to another face via rotational movement of a section of the cube. The puzzle is solved by arranging all the squares of a face with the same color indicia, such that each face shows a different color.
There exist a number of prior art puzzle mechanisms that attempt to combine the two forms of puzzles described above, however, each prior art mechanism has drawbacks associated with it.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,992 to Danino et al. discloses a puzzle-type game comprises at least five manipulatable members, for example of square or circular cross-section, each formed at one end with fingers, and at the opposite end with a circular recess, such that a plurality of the members may be assembled by the player according to any desired sequence, and to be rotated to any desired angular position with respect to each other. Each member carries on its outer faces indicia representing one element of a valid multi-element relationship produced only when the indicia of all the members are aligned according to a predetermined sequence and a predetermined angular position. In one described example, the indicia represent arithmetical equations, and in other described examples they represent the letters of the alphabet, and a maze.
The members of Danino's puzzle-type game are small and may become misplaced and lost when disassembled. Moreover, the specific representative indicium of each member is fixed such that indicia may not be transferred from one member to the next. This limits the level of difficulty as well as the number of arrangements that are required to solve the puzzle for each combination of members.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,399 to Bern discloses a manipulative puzzle in which a succession of coaxial wheel-like elements to be moved by a projective pattern to selectively exclude ones of these elements from a lot to be rotated in relation to the others. An embodiment has a disassembled configuration in which the various self-integrating parts comprise a semi-tubular limiter adapted for educational use in the assembly of a compact annular body from initially isolated elements, and an actuative projectional unit.
Bern's puzzle is conceptually similar to Danino's puzzle, however Bern's puzzle comprises a central shaft about which the wheel-like elements rotate. Since the indicia of each element must remain on its own element, the level of difficulty of patterns is limited, as described above.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,969 to Johnson discloses a self-contained cylindrical puzzle having a plurality of slide elements having faces displaying indicia. The elements form a mosaic geometric surface characterized by the absence of one of the elements leaving a slot. A slide element adjacent the slot may be slid into the slot, leaving behind a slot in the position from which the slide element was slid. Rotation of a row adjacent the row containing the slot will bring a new slide element adjacent the slot to be slid thereinto. Accordingly, the plurality of slide elements may be manipulated about so as to juxtapose indicia to bring about an overall composition that is a solution to the puzzle.
Johnson's puzzle is essentially a three dimensional (cylindrical) version of the framed two dimension puzzle described herein above, and as such, an empty space will always be present in the mosaic of the solution of the puzzle.